THOMASVILLE — Tammy Miller, Respiratory Care Technology Program Director and full-time faculty member at Southwest Georgia Technical College (SWGTC), was named SWGTC’s 2012 Rick Perkins Winner. Miller was selected by her peers, along with three other instructors, as nominees for this award. Miller was then selected from these four nominees to represent SWGTC in the next level of competition.

“This award is presented to an outstanding instructor at the college and to the one instructor who epitomizes the best in technical education. Ms. Miller shows her love daily for her profession and for her students. Because of her commitment, her program consistently excels in meeting critical clinical benchmarks as required by the program’s accrediting body. She also serves on The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) accrediting board as a site visitor to other Respiratory Care Technology programs throughout the United States to be sure the standards of the profession are maintained. Because of this, the community can be assured the college’s graduates will give the very best care to them should they become a patient. We are very proud of Tammy and support her as she continues the quest to become the state winner for the Rick Perkins Award,” Dr. Annie McElroy, Vice President of Academic Affairs at SWGTC.

Miller is a graduate of Cairo High School and received a diploma in Respiratory Therapy from SWGTC in 1984. She completed a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Berry College and a master of education degree in technical and adult education from Valdosta State University. She has spent the last 20 years as an instructor at SWGTC.

During her employment at SWGTC, Miller has served as both the secretary and chair of Faculty Council and student advisor for the National Technical Honor Society and Skills USA student organizations. For a number of years she served as the Camp Education Coordinator for Camp Catch-A-Breath and Camp Easy Air, summer camps for asthmatic children. She recently completed a four-year term as a Commissioner and Accreditation Site Visitor for the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).

Miller is a member of the SWGTC Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Implementation Team and in the first cohort of faculty to attend the Learning is for Everyone (L.I.F.E.) Faculty Seminar as part of the QEP plan. Additionally she serves on the Institutional Effectiveness Committee and as a faculty mentor for new faculty. On a personal note, Miller enjoys assisting with projects for the Flint River Dance Arts and Dance Theatre South of Camilla, where her daughter Ashley, a junior at Westwood School, has been dancing for 13 years. Miller continues to work as a registered respiratorytherapist on the weekend supplemental staff pool for Archbold, Grady General and Mitchell County hospitals.

“I am truly honored to have the opportunity to represent Southwest Georgia Technical College at the regional and state levels of the Rick Perkins award competition. I believe in technical education because I am a graduate of the program I teach, and continue utilizing the skills I acquired in technical college as I continue working as a respiratory therapist. Each year, as we graduate students and examine our job placement rates, the profound impact technical education has on the economic development of our communities of interest is evident,” said Miller.

She will now represent the csollege at the regional competition to be hosted at Moultrie Technical College (Tifton Campus) on Feb. 23. All regional winners will compete for the title of TCSG Instructor of the Year title and will be announced on April 25 at the GOAL and Rick Perkins Award Ceremony.